Last day for early voting in Texas: Why is voter turnout lower this year?

North Texas – There is great interest in the 2024 election. Why is voter turnout lower among early voters?

Today is the last day of early voting in Texas, and while voter turnout is expected to increase, officials don't expect it to reach levels seen in the 2020 election.

More than 42% of registered voters in Texas have cast ballots so far, with that percentage expected to rise as voters take advantage of the final day. However, current turnout is unlikely to reach the over 57% of registered voters who participated in early voting in 2020.

In Dallas County, 40% of registered voters cast a ballot, down 15 percentage points from 2020.

Collin County saw voter turnout above 52%, a decrease of 18 percentage points from the last election.

In Denton County, voter turnout is nearly 52%, more than 12 percentage points lower than in 2020.

Data for Tarrant County will be available later today.

Voter turnout in these large DFW counties lags previous numbers. But why?

A key factor is the number of days of early voting. In 2020, voters had 18 days of early voting due to the pandemic. This year that period has been shortened to 12 days.

Is early voting still possible?

Yes: To increase voter turnout, Dallas County has extended voting hours. The polling stations are open until 9 p.m. today.

Voting centers in Tarrant County, Collin County and Denton County close at 7 p.m

Information about polling locations and voting times can be found on the Election 2024 page.